Beat the BISCUIT Blues!

Saturday

Jan 19, 2013 at 5:49 PMJan 20, 2013 at 12:07 AM

Laura Kurella

QUIP: I was shopping at KROGER when a woman approached me and said, "I have my grandmother’s biscuit recipe, which, whenever she made them, always came out perfect, but for some reason I do not have such luck. Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are like hockey pucks, even though I never stray from the recipe. What is it that I am – sometimes - doing wrong?"

TIP: Biscuits rely on a four key things, that can vary without notice, every time you make them. These are: Very little handling, fresh leavening agents, dough staying cool, and proper spacing on baking sheet.

1. Be gentle when mixing and handle dough like it’s a delicate cloud – with as light a touch as possible. Over working will toughen and warm dough so, hands off!

2, Test baking powder for freshness before using. To test for freshness, pour a few tablespoons of warm water into a small bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to the warm water. The mixture should fizz moderately if the powder is fresh. If there is no reaction, pitch that can - no matter what the expiration date is - and buy yourself a new can of baking powder before bothering to make those biscuits! I use Rumford (or Clabber Girl) because it contains calcium phosphate instead of sodium aluminum sulfate that’s in other products, which tastes bitter.

3. Keep dough cold. If it gets too soft or warm, place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Keep biscuits about one inch apart. If you place them too far apart on baking sheet they will spread too much. If you place them too close together, the centers won't bake through when the end biscuits are done.

Be mindful of all these things and you will always have bicuits that you love!